Exhibition sets a new standard for display of work by school children, at the Cut in Halesworth

The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts’ Heritage Lottery funded outreach project, Culture of the Countryside, opens a month-long exhibition at the Cut in Halesworth to showcase lively works of art from 5 Suffolk Middle schools, members of the local community, and artists. The exhibition, which opens this weekend and runs until 28 November 2009, is accompanied by an exciting programme of events.

The imaginative display at the Cut by Middle School children includes stunning paintings from Beccles about their countryside, poetic responses from Bungay, inventive prints from Halesworth, designs for an outdoor pergola from Saxmundham, and experimental weather-art projects from Gisleham.

Among the exciting events during the month are science-art workshops for families and Country Seat interviews with ‘notable countryside residents’. On 7 November An evening of films from the East Anglia Film Archive will accompanied by a premier screening of Mike Dibb’s extraordinary film of the late Roger Deakin, local author of Waterland and Wildwood, a story of Trees. A highlight of the month will be a performance on 15 November by Halesworth Community Choir of a newly commissioned work by Bridge Cousins, who has worked with residents of Beech House Care Home.

“We are delighted to be opening the exhibition at the Cut, which shows the exceptional standard and variety of work produced by adults and children in the local area. The Culture of the Countryside project has been working with people to reinterpret local heritage, using our world art handling collection as a starting point. The results are amazing – come and see for yourself! ”
– Veronica Sekules, Project Director for Culture of the Countryside.

The exhibition opens at the Cut in Halesworth on Saturday 31 October and runs till 28 November.

Events to accompany the exhibition at the Cut also begin on Saturday 31 October:

Culture of the Countryside
Family Workshop
Saturday 31 October
2pm – 4pm
Free – booking required, T 01603 593199

Chance to handle some of our wonderful world art objects and develop ideas with artists.
Suitable for all ages.

The Future of the Small Farm
Saturday 7 November
11am – 3.30pm
Free – booking required, T 01603 593199

Join artist Justin Partyka for a study day and discussion about the themes of the Sainsbury Centre’s autumn exhibition The East Anglians. The exhibition, which features 58 colour photographs by Justin Partyka that explore an agrarian way of life in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, runs until Sunday 13 December (for more information visit www.scva.ac.uk).

Paintings by children from Beccles

 


Film evening
Saturday 7 November
7.30 Archive East Anglia
8.30 A Day with Roger Deakin by Mike Dibb
Tickets £4.00 – on the door

Archive East Anglia is a series of enchanting and informative short films, which give a glimpse of the way East Anglians used the land between 1912 and the 1950s.

A Day with Roger Deakin is a record of a very engaging and informal encounter with Roger, during which he talks about woods and trees in and around his old timber-framed Suffolk farmhouse that he personally restored from a ruin.


Weather-art Fun and Games
Sunday 8 November
10am – 12 noon, 2pm – 4pm
Free – booking required, T 01603 593199

Find out more about the weather and have some family fun with weather scientists Ben Harden and Ben Webber, and artist performer Craig Kao. Activities will include making your own wind propeller, creating an animated weather film, and producing an artistic map of weather from around the world.

Suitable for children aged 8 and over.

Singing the Countryside
Sunday 15 November
1.30pm – 3pm
Free – booking not required

Enjoy a performance by Halesworth Community Choir of two new pieces written by composer Bridget Cousins following workshops with elderly residents of Beech House.

The Country Seat


Country Seat

Saturday 21 November
10am – 12 noon, 2pm – 4pm
Free – booking not required

A diverse range of Suffolk people, from folk singers to farmers, will take the seat to share their local knowledge and chat with the audience.

Culture of the Countryside is the Sainsbury Centre’s ambitious 3-year outreach project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, which began in October 2007. The Centre has been working with schools and communities across Norfolk and Suffolk, using its world art handling collection as a starting point to explore both current environmental and heritage issues as well as helping to build community relationships.

▪ The Cut, Halesworth
The Cut is open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm. For more information visit www.newcut.org or email [email protected]. Access to the gallery is free and accessible to wheelchair users.

▪ Culture of the Countryside
For more information or to get involved in the project contact Yasmin Keyani on 01603 593725 or email [email protected]. Alternatively visit www.scva.ac.uk/education/culture_countryside/